Here are my scores on all the Gundam TV series, OVAs, and movies so far:
(5 is the highest, 0 is the lowest. Those without scores mean that I haven't watched them yet)
-Mobile Suit Gundam 0079 (The TRUE original Gundam): 5/5
-Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam: 5/5
-Mobile Suit ZZ Gundam: ???
-Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack: 4.5/5
-Mobile Suit Gundam F91: 4/5
-Mobile Suit Victory Gundam: 5/5 (although I'm tempted to give Victory Gundam a 10 out of 5)
-Mobile Suit Gundam 0080 - War in the Pocket: 5/5
-Mobile Suit Gundam 0083 - Stardust Memory: ???
-Mobile Fighter G Gundam: ???
-New Mobile Report Gundam Wing: 1/5 (This one's just... eww)
-Mobile Suit Gundam - The 08th MS Team: ??? (I plan to watch this, though)
-After War Gundam X: 5/5 (I'm also tempted to give this one a 10 out of 5)
-Gundam Wing - Endless Waltz: 3/5
-Turn A Gundam: 4.5/5 (I haven't finished this yet, but from what I've seen, I give it a 4.5 out of 5)
-G Saviour: ??? (And I have no intention to watch this)
-Mobile Suit Gundam Seed: 4/5
-Mobile Suit Gundam Seed DESTINY: 0.5/5 (Yes, you've read it right. 0.5 out of 5. This one's no doubt the WORST Gundam that ever existed)
-Mobile Suit Gundam 00: 4.5/5
Gundam 0079 gets a perfect score not only because it's the original, but also because it's a timeless classic. It's storyline remains solid even today, and without 0079, the real robot genre wouldn't exist today.
Zeta also gets a perfect score because it changed the face of Gundam forever. It featured realistic combat, amazing mecha designs, solid characters, and most of all, a very dark storyline, something that was never expected from Gundam at the time. Not to mention, Zeta's orchestral soundtrack is also very good and dark at the same time. Zeta Gundam, in my opinion, is a masterpiece.
Char's Counterattack gets a 4.5 out of 5 because it finally provided a solid conclusion to Amuro and Char's decade-long saga. In this movie, we finally get to see the epic end of the White Devil and the Red Comet.
F91 was a good movie, but only gets a 4 because the movie was rushed. The pacing was too fast and very little background info are explained. Nevertheless, the storyline was good and the fight scenes were entertaining. The mecha designs were also amazing, especially the Crossbone Vanguard mobile suits.
Victory Gundam is another Gundam masterpiece, just like 0079 and Zeta. It features the darkest storyline out of all the Gundam series, and this is something that'll leave you feeling sad and empty after the ending. Victory Gundam doesn't focus on the mobile suits; instead, it focuses on showing the true horrors of war, and it effectively does so throughout the series. This masterpiece is a definite must-watch for any anime fans.
Gundam 0080 also gets a 5/5 for the same reasons as Victory Gundam: it focuses on showing how innocent lives are changed by the horrors of war. This 6-episode OVA has a powerful and symbolic ending that effectively shows why war is bad.
Gundam Wing gets a pitiful 1/5 because it is a complete abomination compared to its predecessors. Instead of focusing on the horrors of war and how war affects different individuals much like how the UC Gundam shows did, Gundam Wing only revolved around two things: Pretty Boys and extremely gaudy and flashy Gundam suits. Gundam Wing totally destroyed what Gundam stood for: Gundam is supposed to be about realistic mecha combat and the effects of war on different individuals. Instead, Gundam Wing had extremely gaudy and excessively-decorated Gundams that for some reason, single-handedly slaughters entire armies while barely getting scratched at all. Not to mention, the Gundams in Wing never ran out of propellant fuel or ammunition, which makes it even more unrealistic. The storyline on the other hand, only focused on pleasing fangirls and try to get them watching the Gundam franchise. In Gundam Wing, war was actually GLORIFIED, instead of being shown as a bad thing. Not to mention, Gundam Wing also wasted a lot of time on filler episodes, and had to rush things in the end as a consequence. In the end, VERY UNREALISTIC combat and a fangirl-friendly storyline makes Gundam Wing a failed attempt at a Gundam show. Thank god Gundam Wing is already long-dead in Japan today.
After War Gundam X is something I'd call a personal favorite. The reason it got a 5/5 from me is because after the super robot show called G Gundam and the abomination called Gundam Wing, Gundam X finally returns to the traditional UC Gundam-style of storytelling. Combat is finally realistic again (although the UC Gundam shows are still more realistic), and the storyline is very good. In fact, Gundam X's storyline takes place in a post-apocalyptic world and focuses not on the horrors of war, but rather, on the aftereffects of war, which is a first in the Gundam franchise. However, the strongest point of Gundam X is its cast of characters and its well-crafted character development. The characters in Gundam X are so lovable and well-developed that they're definitely the most memorable cast of characters in the entire franchise. Even though 0079, Zeta, and Victory are definitely better than Gundam X, Gundam X will always be my most favorite Gundam series of all.
Endless Waltz is definitely a great improvement over Gundam Wing since the combat is actually more realistic now (Oh my god! The Gundams finally got defeated by grunt suits?!) and the storyline is more bearable than before. However, this OVA is still pretty average overall and its ending was pretty weak, which is why it only receives a 3/5.
I haven't finished Turn A Gundam yet to make a solid judgment, but from what I've seen, it gets a 4.5 out of 5. That's mainly because Turn A Gundam is similar to Gundam X: it focuses more on character interaction and development rather than the mobile suits. Not only that, but Turn A Gundam has one of the most unique MS designs I've seen and the animation quality is one of the BEST I've seen in the franchise.
Gundam SEED is a strange case. The first time I watched it, I immediately said "Man, this is a shameless ripoff of the original Gundam!" Despite that, I continued watching it. Sure, the first half was indeed a shameless plagiarism of Gundam 0079, but in the second half, Gundam Seed became much better and finally headed on its own direction. While I admit that Seed's animation quality is terrible (lots and lots of stock footage and "lazy" animation) and some of its characters are annoying (Kira Yamato), I still ended up liking Gundam Seed in the end. While Gundam Seed, at one point or another, glorifies war, it also has strong moments where it shows the consequences of war (like when Flay got killed by the Providence Gundam). Not to mention, Seed also has impressive mobile suit designs. Because of that, I give Seed a 4 out of 5, much higher than what I expected to give it at first.
If I thought Gundam Wing was the worst ever, then Gundam Seed Destiny proved me wrong. Seed Destiny seemed like a decent sequel at first, but right after Kira stole the spotlight from Shinn and became the main character AGAIN in episode 39, the entire story went out the window and the show COMPLETELY fell apart. Seed Destiny completely destroyed A LOT of things the original Gundam Seed established. For example, Mu's death in the end of Gundam Seed was supposed to be symbolic and heroic because he made the impossible possible (saving the Archangel from a positron blast), but guess what Seed Destiny did? THEY F***ING BROUGHT MU BACK TO LIFE JUST TO PLEASE THE FANGIRLS!!! That stupid move completely destroyed the meaning of Mu's sacrifice in Seed. Not only that, but Seed Destiny glorifies war even more than Gundam Wing did! I mean, the Strike Freedom goes out, completely massacres entire mobile suit battallions, and then wrecks battleships, ALL WITH SOME CHEERFUL TM REVOLUTION J-POP SONG PLAYING IN THE BACKGROUND! What's up with that?! If that's not called glorifying war, then I don't know what is. Not only that, but just like Gundam Wing, Seed Destiny also has very unrealistic combat! I mean, how is it possible that the Strike Freedom, Infinite Justice, and Akatsuki alone single-handedly destroys all of ZAFT's Gundams, massacres the entire ZAFT military, and DESTROYS TWO FRICKIN' DOOMSDAY SUPERWEAPONS?! C'mon, all this was done by three Gundams and those three Gundams DIDN'T EVEN GET A SCRATCH?! How unrealistic is that? Talk about a serious case of plot armor-induced victory. I swear, crap like that NEVER happens in the UC Gundam shows. In the end, all that crap made me give Seed Destiny a 0.5 out of 5, and that show personally became one of the worst anime I've seen in my entire life, along with the likes of Naruto and Bleach.
Gundam 00 is something I'd call "Gundam Wing done right". Gundam 00 borrows Gundam Wing's concept of "Terrorists with Gundams take on the entire world", but actually creates a storyline that uses that concept the right way. First of all, the combat in Gundam 00 is actually much more realistic than Gundam Wing's. Even though the Gundams in Gundam 00 were indeed strong, they could still be easily defeated by grunt suits if the grunts used their heads. A good example of this would be the time when Graham used his Flag to defeat the Gundam Throne Eins. That scene was pure awesome! Second, the characters in 00 were actually bearable and some even had solid background stories. However, what sets 00 apart from the horrible Gundam Wing is that 00's storyline was actually ENJOYABLE. The storyline is well-written (although the UC Gundam shows still have superior storylines) and strikes a good balance between showcasing the Gundams' capabilities and showing the horrors and effects of war. The soundtrack is also amazing and the animation quality is very good, having only very few stock footage. Overall, Gundam 00 gets a 4.5 out of 5.
Well, that ends my detailed review of the Gundam shows I've seen. To summarize my review:
"Masterpiece" Gundam shows:
-Gundam 0079
-Zeta Gundam
-Victory Gundam
-Gundam 0080
-Turn A Gundam
"Good" Gundam shows:
-Char's Counterattack
-Gundam F91
-Gundam X
-Gundam Seed
-Gundam 00
"Decent" Gundam Shows:
-Endless Waltz
"Epic Failure"
-Gundam Wing
-Gundam Seed Destiny
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